Food and Dining Briefs for Dec. 9

Stone Flats debuts:
Rancho Santa Fe
entrepreneur Brad Mason this month launched Stone Flats, a
quick-service restaurant company he hopes to take nationwide.
Inspired by the healthy, gourmet pizzas and flatbreads Mason and
his wife, Anne, would make on a baking stone in their home oven,
Stone Flats specializes in build-your-own stone-fired flatbread
pizzas, as well as gourmet salads and soups. The pizzas come with
choice of sauce (marinara, garlic/olive oil, white bean puree),
hormone-free proteins (steak, chicken, pepperoni, sausage and
bacon), cheeses and vegetables. The pizzas (about the size of a
dinner plate) bake in 90 seconds and are less than 500 calories
(his target customers are health-conscious adult women). Prices
start at $5.50 (or $7.95 for a combo with soup or salad). The first
location, at 9844 Hibert St. in Scripps Ranch, has seating for 65
inside and 45 on the patio. Anne Mason designed the "rustic
elegant" decor from reclaimed Wyoming snow fence beams; the chairs
are made from recycled Coke bottles. In March, the Masons plan to
open a second location at Liberty Station in Point Loma, then more
locations in San Diego County in 2012. Eventually, he'd like to
expand nationwide and create 20,000 jobs. That may seem like
pie-in-the-sky idealism, but Mason knows a bit about building a
business. The former medical device manufacturer grew his last
startup from scratch to $100 million in sales, then sold it a few
years ago. He planned to retire, but got bored and the idea for
Stone Flats was born. Visit stoneflats.com.

Rhythm City Grill opens:
Old California
Restaurant Row in San Marcos is home to another new restaurant ----
Big John's Rhythm City Grill. The restaurant features Southern
cuisine, including Carolina barbecue, mac 'n' cheese, gumbo, fried
okra and chicken fried steak. Other menu items are Carolina Po Boy
sandwiches, chicken (smothered or Southern fried), pork chops
(fried, grilled or smothered), Carolina BBQ (tri-tip, beef platter
or ribs: baby back, spare and tips), shrimp creole, beef stew, New
Orleans rice, all-you-can-eat catfish day, vegan menu and more. The
restaurant also has live jazz or blues on the patio on Fridays,
Saturdays and Sundays. Go to oldcalrestaurantrow.com or call
760-736-9202.

Death by Chocolate winners announced:
Three
North County bakers came up tops in the Assistance League of Inland
North County's first "Death by Chocolate" fundraising gala on Dec.
3. Jill Reilly of Cute Cakes in Escondido won in the Best Chocolate
Cake category and won the Audience Favorite award for her Irish
mint fudge cake. Nikki Schaeffer of Leucadia Pizzeria & Italian
Restaurant in Encinitas won in the Best Chocolate Brownie category
for her dense and fudgy brownies with walnuts. And Don Hein of
Little Cakes Cupcake Kitchen in Vista won in the Best Chocolate
Cookie category for his "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" cookie
bars. Other awards went to Isabella Valencia of Dallman Confections
for Best Chocolate Candy (she made salted caramels and white
chocolate apple pie candies). And Kym Sumner of Sweet Cakes in San
Diego won Most Unique Dessert for an elaborately decorated show
cake. Earning honorable mentions were Cindy Cassidy of CC's
Chocolates Etc. in San Marcos; Mark Leisman of San Diego Desserts;
Jeff Bonilla of Cups in La Jolla; and Denise Opocensky, a culinary
student at the Art Institute of San Diego.